Posts Tagged ‘softball’

Softball bats were at one time made chiefly of wood, but advances in technology have introduced materials such as aluminum, graphite, and composites. Each material has its positive and unique features.

Wood: Wood softball bats are very rare but are slowly regaining favor with softball enthusiasts who would rather hear a whack and not a ping when the bat meets ball. A wood softball bat is bottle-shaped and can weigh between 32-35 ounces (around 8 ounces heavier than an aluminum bat). Traditionally, wood bats have been made from ash. However, ash is light and soft and bats made from ash tend to splinter and dent fast. Wood from maple, oak, and bamboo is also used for these bats. Maple is harder and its grain is denser as compared to ash, making it less susceptible to splintering and chafing. Bats made from Chinese bamboo are the closest wood bat equivalent of an aluminum bat. Bamboo is extremely light-weight and ha a tensile strength higher than that of steel. Read More